On this great solemnity, Fr. Chris reflects on the mystery at the heart of the Marian Fathers’ charism: the Immaculate Conception—God’s greatest act of mercy ever given to a creature. Despite the grief of losing his father just days earlier, he reminds us that Our Lady’s purity is the blueprint for our own path to holiness. Long before the dogma was defined in 1854, the Church cherished this truth in Scripture and Sacred Tradition, seen in Gabriel’s greeting, “Hail, full of grace,” revealing Mary as wholly transformed by divine life.

The Feast of the Transfiguration (Aug. 6), the moment when Jesus reveals His divine glory to Peter, James, and John on the top of the mountain, is a powerful reminder of who He truly is and who we’re called to become in Him. Father Daniel Klimek reflects more deeply on this mystery, with a special teaching drawn from his own book. Then meet Paul Darrow, who through an encounter with Divine Mercy and Mother Angelica, experienced a profound conversion.

Fr. Chris Alar tells how the Christmas Tree and its elements came about.See the Christmas party at the Association of Marian Helpers at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy.